Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
As non-invasive therapy becomes increasingly favorable over invasive procedures, new challenges have risen in monitoring the progress of non-invasive therapies. Non-invasive therapies typically do not break the skin of the patient, thereby avoiding many of the risks associated with invasive treatments. For example, an invasive, surgical treatment may require a doctor or a machine to make incisions to a patient's skin and underlying tissue; non-invasive therapies, on the other hand, may be performed without having to make such incisions, thus allowing for a reduced recovery time and avoiding possible surgical errors.
Some non-invasive therapies may assist in the delivery and/or perfusion of a drug or gene to a certain tissue or at a desired location in a subject. Other non-invasive therapies may generate heat within a designated portion of the body. Although these non-invasive therapies avoid certain risks commonly associated with their invasive-therapy counterparts, they may potentially be harmful if incorrectly administered.